Tears and Trolls
by vanityfair
Summary: He pushed the thought away as quickly as it had come. He had nothing in common with a mudblood Gryffindor and friend of Potter.
1. Tears and Trolls

**Tears and Trolls**

A/N: I cannot be sure that this fits exactly with canon since the only copy I have right now is in French, (which means I'm remembering more what I read before than actually comprehending the language itself,) so some of it is based on what I vaguely remember and more of it is based on the movie. Canon or not, J.K. Rowling owns it all.

This has been revised and added to after receiving readers' comments. Thanks for your input and remember your reviews do matter!

The dust settled even as the stench of troll and terror lingered. The girl's bathroom lay destroyed, splinters of wood that had once been stalls laid in piles on the ground and water spouted from the broken sinks before anyone had the presence of mind to wave their wand and fix the problem. It really was too bad that Filch was a squib, cleaning this mess up would take time and it would be left to a teacher to do it, teachers who had more pressing matters to attend to.

Professor Snape surveyed the three students before him. Potter was eyeing him suspiciously as if it were him that had committed some wrong rather than the other way around. With one fluid movement he moved his robes to cover the spot where that blasted dog had bitten him.

Weasley stood next to him, looking happy just to be alive though a look of dismay crossed his face when Minerva deducted house points.

But what truly caught his interest was Miss Granger. She had glanced over at Potter and Weasley before answering Minerva's question. She had hesitated and in that moment he sensed her scrambling for something other than the truth. As a master of deception he knew a lie when he saw it, and he could see that Miss Granger clearly was not experienced in the art of dishonesty.

What interested him was why she chose this moment to lie. Her story didn't make much sense when he thought about it. Why not just admit that she had slipped out to use the toilet? Why choose to make herself look foolish by telling them she had thought she could handle the troll on her own?

She was just as arrogant and overconfident as Potter, he decided. Watching her nearly fall out of her chair the first day of class, he had dreaded the thought of seven more years of snapping at her to sit down and shut up. It didn't help that Minerva felt the need to reward them for their stupidity, awarding the two boys points for "sheer dumb luck." He tried hard to suppress a scowl, wondering why people were so critical of him for favoring the students in his house. He certainly wasn't the only one who did so.

Glancing back at Miss Granger, he saw something that had escaped his notice before. She still looked nervous, trembling slightly either from her recent encounter with the troll, from having lied, or both, but he noticed that her eyes were somewhat red. He looked at her pointedly and she returned his gaze for only seconds before looking abashed and staring at the floor.

But it was long enough. His suspicions proved, he could see that she had indeed lied about why she had been missing from the feast. She was smart enough to know to avoid trolls, but she hadn't even known there was a troll loose in the castle. She had been crying.

He looked back at Potter and Weasley who were now beaming at the points Minerva had awarded them. Harry was the image of his father, both in visage and in behavior. And Weasley was a red-haired version of Sirius Black, taunting the poor girl simply because she happened to be smarter than her peers.

She might have died because they had driven her to spend the afternoon in the bathroom crying. She only survived because of their last minute guilt. And now she had lied to save them from trouble and more importantly, he thought, because she didn't want to admit that they had such power over her, especially not to teachers she so desperately tried to impress on a daily basis.

He felt a sudden stab of sympathy for the girl that he quickly suppressed. But as the three first years filed out of the bathroom, headed for their dormitory, he briefly wondered if he had lied to save Potter and Black from punishment if they would have treated him better…might they even have become friends? He pushed the thought away almost as quickly as it had come.

He had nothing in common with a mudblood Gryffindor and friend of Potter.


	2. Points and Ponderings

A/N: Thanks to Indianpipe, (I don't know if this will turn out to be mega-long but I have decided to continue it,) Kail Ceannai, sallene, Magic and Sparkle, AnavaraAna, Hana1, Lady Aegis, Duj, (You keep me on my toes! I made some changes regarding where he was coming from, but it didn't work the way I wanted if he noticed that she had been crying first.) droxy, Verity Brown, (don't forget he's a leglimens!) Natsuyori, azulkan2, AMRA1, Pathatlon, and magicalwonder.

**Points and Ponderings**

Green and silver banners fluttered from the charmed ceiling as the students filed in for their last meal in the Great Hall before climbing on the train headed home. Professor Snape watched as his Slytherins strutted in, their chests puffed out with the knowledge that they had once again secured the House Cup for themselves. With almost as much satisfaction, he noticed the slouched shoulders and slow steps of the Gryffindors.

There had been so many whispers at the beginning of the year, now that they had Potter surely this would be their year, but even the hero of the Wizarding world couldn't win them the coveted cup. Some, he knew, tried to compensate for the loss with the knowledge that he had once again saved them. If they couldn't have the cup then they could at least boast that they had a hero among them.

Most of the school knew that the-boy-who-lived had spent the last several days in the infirmary, after defeating Voldemort for the second time in his young life. Most however did not know, and probably didn't care, about the roles his two friends had played. Snape had heard rumors flying around his classroom and in the hallways about the great Harry Potter who had ridden his broom through underground tunnels miles beneath the castle to save the Philosopher's Stone from Quirrel.

He watched with disgust as Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley entered in the wake of the new school hero. No one called out to either of them Congratulations or a Job Well Done. Somehow the fact that Ronald Weasley had sacrificed himself in an impressive game of wizard's chess had been forgotten. And certainly no one cared that the bushy haired know it all had solved in mere minutes the logic puzzle that it had taken him over a month to concoct; just as no one had ever acknowledged his own role. He repressed a wave of admiration for the girl's intellect; he was certain she would become even more unbearable in class if he showed her any praise or approval.

But he briefly wondered if Miss Granger felt the sting of jealousy as tributes were paid to her 'friend.' Or the burning stab of resentment when he failed to include her in the spotlight. Did she wonder why she still helped him when in the end it seemed to earn her nothing, not even a pat on the back? He had received his meager thanks in private, the understanding of course, that his true loyalties could not be revealed. But in his opinion a young and insecure witch like her deserved better than second-hand fame.

Turning his attention to the headmaster, his stomach dropped and the small smile that had played on his lips when Dumbledore announced the house points disappeared as Snape realized what the old man was doing. The House Cup was stripped away from him as the cheers from the Gryffindor table grew louder. Fifty points each to Miss Hermione Granger and Mr. Ronald Weasley, sixty for Potter, and another ten to Neville Longbottom, who apparently had more of a backbone than he had previously shown in Potions class. He watched as Weasley and Granger received the applause and accolades he had just thought they might have been missing.

He pushed away all thoughts of sympathy for the girl out of his mind as he watched her smile modestly at the enthusiastic cheers of her classmates. He had nothing in common with a mudbood Gryffindor and friend of Potter.


	3. Dignity and Duels

**Dignity and Duels**

Students of every year crowded into the Great Hall at 8:00. A small platform had been set up at the end for demonstrating use, and they crowded around it, whispering about the petrified victims lying in the infirmary, the Chamber of Secrets, and the idea of dueling. It had been Snape's idea for the Dueling Club, a chance to finally teach a little Defense Against the Dark Arts since everyone knew that Lockhart wouldn't be. Even if the students were inclined to learn, Lockhart had nothing but styling tips to teach them.

When the vain, self-important twit had introduced him to the crowd as his assistant, Snape had been livid. Even after knocking him to the ground and humiliating him, he had somehow made it look as though he had meant it to happen. And so, Professor Snape did what he always did in such situations—he took his ire out on others. Stalking towards Potter, he separated him from Weasley, pairing the red head with Mr. Finnegan instead. Potter inched towards Miss Granger, but Snape refused to let him off that easy. If he were to be humiliated then so would Potter.

He paired Miss Granger with Millicent Bulstrode, a second year Slytherin. She was large, and from what he heard meaner than any snake. She often forgot her wand and resorted to just using her fists instead, to great effect. Miss Granger would see just how well all her books and cleverness would fare against sheer brute force.

He watched with a smirk as Potter and his 'honorable intentions' fell to the ground, and then again as his feet moved uncontrollably to Draco's Tarantallegra Curse. All around him, sparks of light flew across the room and students fell over from the effects of the various curses. Once it was clear that Lockhart had completely lost control of the situation, Snape asserted his authority. With a wave of his wand and a yell, he ended it all. A green haze filled the room, as the whole lot of dunderheads stood up and brushed themselves off. Apologies were exchanged, glares received and returned, and a general hush began to fall over the room. Everyone quieted except Miss Bulstrode, who having dropped her wand, had the diminutive Miss Granger in a headlock. The smaller girl whimpered for mercy, squirming and trying to bite her way free from Millicent's embrace, but to no avail.

A sudden stab of sympathy coursed through him as he realized that it was he who had put her in this position. A teacher, a person in authority, who was assigned to protect her, and he had, in a fit of temper, paired them together knowing that this would be the likely outcome. Miss Bulstrode never would have attacked another Slytherin in such a manner, and an older student would have been faster with her wand, never allowing it to progress this far.

But Miss Granger, despite her extensive reading and magical talent found herself up against a larger, more powerful force, and she had no one to help her. He remembered too clearly what that felt like, the feeling of helplessness, knowing that his teachers were aware of what was happening but did nothing to prevent it.

He waded back through the crowd in order to pull Miss Bulstrode from her, when Potter pushed past him. He grabbed at Millicent, distracting her enough from Miss Granger, that she was able to wiggle free. Miss Granger smiled at him for having saved her, and Snape's hand clenched on his wand as he fought to keep it down. He only half heard what Lockhart proposed next, briefly wondering instead how the girl would have liked to have had the greasy Potions master as her savior. Would she have smiled at him, or would she have rejected him, like he had spit on those who had tried to protect him?

Not that it mattered. She had the Boy-Who-Lived to save her from Dark Lords and Millicent Bulstrodes alike. He would make sure Potter paid for his never ending insolence. This Dueling Club was just the place. Striding toward the platform, he pushed away any sympathy he had for the girl. He had nothing in common with a Mudblood Gryffindor and friend of Potter.

A/N: I really love that so many are enjoying these short vignettes. They are really pushing me to further analyze both Hermione and Snape. This will be the only one for CoS, mainly because this is one of the few times that these two characters are in the same scene in this book. Leave me a review and let me know what you think!


	4. Werewolves and Whispers

A/N: Thanks for all the lovely reviews. Droxy, you are right in regards to the movie. But in the book Lockhart actually suggests Neville and Harry as a pair. The insult is similar though, something about being sent to the hospital in a matchbox. Rather than confuse people, I decided to concentrate his ire on Harry. Anyway, onto book three...

**Werewolves and Whispers**

Professor Snape entered the classroom in the same dramatic manner that he always did. He found it particularly useful in subduing a class into silence. It worked to even greater effect here because they weren't expecting him, until Potter strode into class late, looking as if he owned the place. He was just as arrogant as his father ever was, peppering him with questions about Lupin's absence. Snape almost wished the little brat wouldn't sit down so he could take off the fifty points. But he did.

The interruption, however, gave the other students the false impression that they could now speak their minds. He rebuked them coldly, brushing aside comments about how Lupin was the best teacher they had ever had. Well, they didn't have much to compare him to, did they? And they certainly had no idea what he was. How their opinions would change when they found out, and he would make certain that one of them did. It was the very reason he had volunteered to take Lupin's class in the first place. He may have promised Dumbledore long ago not to reveal Lupin's true nature, but that didn't mean one of the students might not 'discover' it on their own.

He suspected it would be Miss Granger. Miss Granger, who had spent so little time in his class last year that he had forgotten what a nuisance she could be. He was beginning to think that he preferred her in the infirmary. At least petrified she was unable to speak. After three years, she still raised her hand for every question, spoke out of turn, and turned red from embarrassment when he berated her for it. She had saved Mr. Longbottom's toad from certain death even after he told her to stop showing off. But today he would use her determination to answer a question, her stubborn will to impress him with her knowledge against her, and against Lupin.

He watched with cool detachment as she struggled not to cry after he called her insufferable, and then as she clenched her fists in resolve. She had yet to learn how to ignore snide comments such as those. Didn't she know that responding so openly only subjected her to more torment? It was a lesson he learned early in school. Apparently, Miss Granger was not as advanced as McGonagall exclaimed.

He returned to the desk at the front of the room while the students copied notes from their books. Reading their recent essays, he could see that the girl was bright in more than just Potions. If only she could be convinced to shut her mouth, but she would serve a purpose yet. Yes, he rather thought it would be her that would discover Lupin's 'ailment.' Assigning Weasley detention would just be icing on the cake.

As the class ended, he felt no guilt assigning an essay on recognizing and killing a werewolf. It was relevant information that might very well save their lives in the near future. But he wondered what Miss Granger would do when she discovered her professor's dirty little secret. Would she attempt to confront him as Snape had done so many years ago, subjecting herself to danger? He hoped not. Or would she go to Dumbledore only to be told to keep the secret? He felt a stab of sympathy for burdening her with this revelation if his plan to get Lupin sacked failed. He had felt its weight for too many years.

But he pushed away all thoughts of sympathy for the girl as she left with Potter, on their way to assassinate his character, no doubt, as soon they left the room. He would finally see the secret unveiled after so many years of hushed whispers, and it would be because of her. He certainly had nothing in common with a Mudblood Gryffindor and friend of Potter.


	5. Revenge and Retribution

**Revenge and Retribution**

Oh how he had hoped it had it would be him, and now all of his hard work had finally paid off. He had stalked Lupin all year, knowing that the werewolf was helping his friend Black into the castle. And now both of them stood helpless before him, just as he had so many years before. They would pay for what they had done, for mocking him, for humiliating him, for simply having more of everything he had ever wanted.

It was his wildest wish come true. Black and Lupin would receive a kiss each. Potter would be expelled, and he, Professor Severus Snape, would be recognized as a hero. He taunted Black, begging him for a reason not to wait for the Dementors. But he didn't provide it. Instead, Miss Granger stepped forward, her voice quivering as she asked to hear them out.

The impertinent, disrespectful, ungrateful little…he had just saved her worthless life from a dangerous werewolf and a mass murderer. What was about these two that everyone seemed determined to give them second, third, and TENTH chances? He would not let this insolent and stupid teenage girl distract him from his purpose. When this was over and he had his Order of Merlin, first class, he would personally oversee all three of them packing their bags for home. He would never have to endure Miss Granger and her endless questions ever again.

But she persisted. Mistake! There was no MISTAKE! Of all the people in this shabby room, he would have thought that she would see this for what it was—a ruse, and not even a particularly clever one, designed to wiggle out of their rightful punishment. This was no _prank_, not this time. Why had he ever thought that this stupid, idiotic girl was clever? She had NO IDEA! He would have his award. He would see Black kissed by a Dementor. He would see Potter, Granger, and Weasley expelled. And nothing, NOTHING, would stop him.

Blue sparks shot out of the end of his wand as he yelled at her to close her mouth and not to presume she had the slightest clue about what she was talking of—a common and repetitive theme with her. With what little intelligence she did have, she finally acquiesced and stepped back. He turned his attention back to Black. He would show her. He would show them all.

A/N: I wasn't going to write this scene originally, but several people over at Ashwinder asked for it, so here it is. You'll notice the chorus has changed. This is a crucial turning point both in canon as well as in this story. Thanks for reading and please leave a review because as my name suggests I suffer from great vanity.


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